NFL Finally Delivers a Pair of Playoff Squeakers
Isn't this the any given Sunday league?
Fortunately for The Shield, it took a Sunday to rescue their post-season party from abject boredom.
Except, perhaps, for those playing the chalk.
When the pendulum swung back, though, entertainment ensued.
Maybe fans had a feeling that Green Bay and Dallas would rise above the yawners that preceded them. They were right.
After the Pack built a cozy 21-3 lead midway through the second quarter, the Cowboys defense stiffened while their offense finally got on a roll and finally caught up with a late fourth-quarter drive capped by a two-point dash by Dak Prescott on a ballsy -- and well-blocked -- QB draw:
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Matching howitzer field goals -- Green Bay's Mason Crosby from 56 and Dallas' Dan Baily from 52; sheesh! -- upped the tie to 31-all. They set the stage for Aaron Rodgers to call his own pass patterns:
Whether Jared Cook was the piece of glass or the bottle cap, did it proud.
Dude held on to a laser and auditioned for The Nutcrackeri at the same time:
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After nailing the third-longest playoff field goal in NFL history, Crosby's 51-yarder at the gun was a veritable chip shot:
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Conditions will be that good for kickers in Atlanta next weekend, too.
It's too early to say for sure about New England. At least it'll be warm on the field.
Locker room talk, that's all. Nothing to see here.
All that was missing was a Hollywood Access bus.
Any maybe a few touchdowns. The Steelers beat Kansas City, 18-16, on six field goals. Yes, that was a playoff record.
And no, that's not necessarily good news. Zero touches won't cut it in Foxboro.